Interesting note: learning Mandarin I find it helpful to have recordings a bit louder than I would normally choose to listen to US English recordings, perhaps to catch sounds critical to the meaning that I might otherwise miss. I found myself wishing for the same thing here!

So does this mean that we should speak louder to non-native speakers to be understood better? I always thought this was just a reflexive and none-to-useful habit, but perhaps (assuming the person in question can understand the language at all) there is some credence to it after all…

Mark – 1) isn’t Yorkshire, 4) isn’t Glasgow, 6) isn’t Cork, and 7) is North Wales, though not Wrexham. The others are correct.

Lillian – some of the people in the recordings are from England, others are from Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Ben – I tend to speak more slowly and clearly when speaking English to non-native speakers, though it depends how well they speak English. I also try use relatively simple words and to avoid using slang and idioms. I’m not sure if it’s necessary or helpful to speak louder – that’s the stereotypical kind of thing monoglot English speakers often do.